CRESTON SCHOOL DISTRICT #9
REGULAR SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
8 April 2021

MINUTES
I. Call to order. Matt Hartle called the Board of Trustees meeting to order at 7:04 a.m. The meeting was held in the Creston School gym. Present were Board Trustees Matt Hartle, Jessica Sandven-Sorensen, Twila Brenneman, Barry Farrell, and Nevada Hafer. Also in attendance were Tami Ward, Principal, Tammy Bartos, District Clerk, Jennifer Johnson, 2nd Grade Teacher and CEA President, and Shanta Milne, Kindergarten Teacher.
II. Minutes of 11 March 2021 and 1 April 2021. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen moved to approve the minutes as presented. Nevada Hafer seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
III. Public Participation / Correspondence – nil.
IV. Information Item(s) – nil.
V. Reports:
A. Clerk. Statement of Expenditure includes payroll and claims through 6 April. General Fund is at 57% committed and the Total of all Funds is at 57% committed. Accounts are reconciled to County Treasurer for February 2021. The 2019-2020 Audit is in process.
B. Principal. Student Enrollment is at 107. Kindergarten Roundup is scheduled for this afternoon and we currently have 19 students on our list for next year. We did not have any applicants again this year for our scholarships. All staff and teachers who wanted a Coronavirus vaccine, have been vaccinated. At the time of the report there were no new cases of COVID in our learning environment. Monthly building inspections have been completed with no recommendations; countertops were installed in the 6th grade room over Spring Break; the Facility Conditions Inventory Report was provided with updates. A cohort of teachers met on April 7th to ensure everything is in place for Smarter Balanced Assessments which are to start the end of April; also, a small cohort of teachers met to plan and prepare for Kindergarten Roundup. Third grade hosted a virtual guest speaker through the Buffalo Bill Museum; and we hosted our final virtual Student Assembly with talent and awards on March 19th. We continue to have a need for substitute teachers, custodians, bus, and maintenance for the 2020/2021 school year. Teachers will begin progress monitoring for math the middle of April; students at risk in reading continue to be progress monitored with the Dyslexia screener. Updates on the Educational and Special Education Cooperatives were given.
C. Staff. Shanta Milne shared the staff report via a Google Slides presentation; Kindergarten was the focus class this month.
VI. Policies:
A. 3310F – Discipline Citation – Repeal – 1st Read. Due to an updated Policy 3310, this form is no longer referenced in the policy. No motion at this time.
B. 5140 – Personnel – Classified Employment and Assignment – 1st Read. Changes in the interpretation of the Wrongful Discharge Act require adjustment to policy and practice of hiring new classified employees. No motion at this time.
C. MTSBA Policy Maintenance Program various policies – 1st Read: #1700, #3225P, #5012P, #3310, #3130, #5120P, #5120F – Notice, #5120F – Determination, #5120F – Privacy, #5120F – Dissemination, #5122F, #5232, #5228P, #5228F, #5228F2, #5328P, #7220, #7220F. Policy updates from the MTSBA Policy Services to ensure compliance with the law and best practices including Title IX compliance, background checks and fingerprinting, Federal Motor Carrier Clearing House Rules, and the use of Title 1 Funds. No motion at this time.
VII. Consideration of Action Items:
A. Levy & Trustee Election Cancellation by Acclamation. We had two trustee openings and two candidate filings – Twila Brenneman for a two-year term and Jessica Sandven-Sorensen for a three-year term. There was no need for a levy election. The levy and trustee election were cancelled. Nevada Hafer moved to approve the Levy and Trustee Election Cancellation Notice as presented. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.
B. Maternity Leave Request. Mrs. Milne provided a written request for maternity leave at the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year, followed by a three-day work week for the remainder of the year. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen moved to approve the maternity leave request as presented. Twila Brenneman seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.
C. Teacher Contract Renewals 2021-2022 including Renewal or Non-Renewal of Non-Tenured Teachers. Barry Farrell moved to approve the contract renewals for the list of tenured teachers for the 2021-2022 school year as presented. Twila Brenneman seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously. Barry Farrell moved to approve the contract renewals for the list of non-tenured teachers for the 2021-2022 school year as presented. Nevada Hafer seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.
D. Curriculum Director Appointment. The Northwest Educational Cooperative is currently undergoing reorganization. Due to the unique structure and pedagogy of our instructional model, our teachers have been – for several years -receiving curriculum support, professional development and collaboration through conferences or bringing professional development to them through other resources. Currently due to our school size, the principal/administrator may serve as the curriculum director for the district. Twila Brenneman moved to appoint Tami Ward, Principal, as the Curriculum Director of Creston School for the 2021-2022 school year. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.
E. Mini-Split Heat Pump System for Remodel Project. This quote is to ventilate the planned remodeled office areas. Jessica Sandven-Sorensen moved to approve the purchase of the mini-split heat pump system from Great Northern Heating and Air, Inc as per quote E2138. Barry Farrell seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.
F. Substitute List – nil.
G. Transportation Contract(s) – nil.
H. Before School Care Contract(s) – nil.
I. Out of District Request(s) – nil.
J. Gym & School Grounds Use request(s) – nil.
VIII. Claims – April 2021. The trustees approved all claims as presented.
IX. Next Meeting Dates:
A. 13 May 2021, 7:00 am Reorganization and Regular Meeting
X. Adjourn. Meeting adjourned at 7:42 a.m.

Respectfully Submitted,

__________________________
Tammy Bartos, District Clerk

__________________________
Matt Hartle, Board Chair